The present invention refers to a device for capturing and removing the dust originated when loading the tank of a corresponding concrete mixer truck, and it is based on the provision of a fixed receptacle disposed between the concrete and the aggregates chute duct and the input mouthpiece of the corresponding concrete mixer tank, said receptacle being complemented with a vacuum head having a frusto-conical configuration, at one of which ends a mouth is established which can be disposed facing the mouthpiece of the concrete mixer tank, while a fan that is disposed in the smaller and backside base of said vacuum head, in combination with an external vacuum system, for capturing the dust and bringing it on a recipient container; all this constitutes an assembly to which the backside of the truck has adapt by means of reversing the motion of the same.
The object of the invention is to avoid the release of the dust commonly produced when loading concrete, aggregates, sand, water, etc., into concrete mixer trucks.
Normally, the loading of a concrete mixer truck is done by positioning the same in correspondence to a hopper or silo from which, and by means of the appropriate ducts, the correspondent dose of water, aggregate and concrete is conveyed to the concrete mixer tank; all this is complemented with the appropriate weighting and volume control means in order to dose the aggregates, the concrete and also the water.
The discharge of aggregates and concrete produces, logically, dust, due to their chute, by gravity, into the tank; said dust invades the environment, and this is problematic and inconvenient. The release of dust to the outside of the concrete mixer tank is usually produced by two main reasons, one of which is due to the fact that the air moved from the inside of the tank pushes, when moved, the fine particles of aggregates and concrete falling from the correspondent hopper or silo into the tank; the second reason is due to the fact that a big amount of dust is produced when the discharged material crashes into the truck capturing hopper, which means about 15% of the light particles.
There is a system to prevent the formation of dust or to prevent the release of dust to the outside, which is the same; said system consists in an expensive assembly mounted on the upper part of a ramp to which the correspondent concrete mixer truck can access, said concrete mixer truck being positioned under a stand having aggregate and concrete discharge means, all this in such a way that said stand has an aperture in one of its sides, more specifically the one facing the ramp; the vehicle, having appropriate means, is positioned under the stand, in correspondence with said aperture, preventing in this way the release of the dust.
The above-mentioned system is not completely efficient because there is always a substantial release of dust and there are other problems such as the complexity of the assembly, its static position and the gathering of dust at the level of the same loading area or platform where the vehicle or truck is located.
The device of the present invention is designed to solve these problems in a completely satisfactory manner, based on a solution which is both simple and efficient: the device comprises two basic elements, one is configured as an almost sealed receptacle and it is constituted from an horizontal plate having a coupling mouth adapted to the concrete and even aggregate chute duct, in such a way that a series of flaps made of rubber in combination with fabrics, are fixed to the perimetral and rectangular edge of said plate, defining the receptacle as such, characterised by the fact that one of the flaps has a gap with an arched configuration to allow the positioning of the concrete mixer tank, when the correspondent truck moves backwards on said receptacle. Furthermore, inside said receptacle a vacuum head is provided, movable along a forward and backward direction by means of a set of bearings disposed on guides, mounted in the lateral heel plates between which a mounting shaft of said vacuum head is disposed; said vacuum head comprises a frusto-conical body, pivotable in relation to said shaft in order to allow its coupling to the loading mouthpiece of the concrete mixer tank when the truck moves backwards, characterised specially in that the movement of said vacuum head prevents any damage or deterioration of the same because when the truck moves backwards the head can move on the guides mentioned above.
Both the receptacle first mentioned above and the vacuum head include corresponding ducts through which the air is suctioned to a common collector communicating to a sort of hopper by means of which, together with the appropriate filters, the dust is filtered and falls into a tank or capturing container, all this in combination with a motor driven fan.
In relation to the coupling of the vacuum head edge to the loading mouthpiece of the concrete mixer tank, a kind of perimetral and damping screen is provided, contributing to the fixing or coupling of said vacuum head edge to the mouthpiece of the tank, more particularly, on grooves provided on the back and lateral side of the mouthpiece of the tank.
By means of the above mentioned device, when the product (concrete) falls in the concrete mixer tank, the correspondent dust will be generated during the fall and will remain inside the receptacle, in order to be released trough the duct leading to the general collector mentioned above, while the other big part of the dust is suctioned by the vacuum head and reaches also the output collector trough the correspondent duct.